vegans simple shopping list

THINGS VEGANS SHOULD CONSIDER WHEN SHOPPING

Milk Substitutes
Rice, Almond(Almond milk is tastier and equally high in protein) or Soy milk – 
Fortified non-dairy milk
Butter Substitues
Earth Balance makes lots of vegan butter options and they are all delicious
Cheese Substitutes
Vegan Cheddar & Mozzarella 
Vegan Ricotta (Consider Nutty Cow is coming out with a ricotta vegan cheese )

Vegan Parmesan
Cream cheese and sour cream by Tofutti
Nutritional yeast (has the same salty, nutty taste as parmesan and delicious sprinkled on popcorn)
Egg Substitutes (for recipes)
Ener-G Egg Replacer
The Vegg – vegan egg yolks  

Sweetners
Maple Syrup ( for recipes and toppings)
Condiments
Mayonnaise – Canola or Veganaise
Ketchup, Mustard 
Nuts
Nuts are high in protein and can be added to almost any meal. Try slivered almonds on salads, oatmeal or just for snacking.
Vegetables 
Vegetables – any and all fresh in season organic vegetables .
 Eat as many vegetables as you like!
Fruit
Fruit – any and all fresh in season organic fruits
Yogurt
Soy / Almond / Coconut Yogurt 
Cream Cheese (You don’t have to give up your bagels -most bagels should be vegan, as the traditional recipe is simply a bread dough that is boiled and baked. Make sure they don’t put an egg wash on it to make it shiny. Ask if they have any egg, honey or whey added to it. A pure plain bagel shouldn’t have added ingredients)
Tofutti Cream Cheese
Organic Vegetable Broth 
Whole Foods, Imagine Foods or Pacific Natural make organic veggie broth ( use it for sauteing instead of oil and in soups)
Whole Grains –
 (Brown rice, quinoa & farro are my high-protein staples to eat through-out the week.)
Whole grain breads
Brown rice
Quinoa ( add to salads, soups, under stir-frys  – high in protein)
Farro (can be used for breakfast. It has a delicious nutty taste.)

Pasta
Whole-wheat pasta is easy to prepare. Serve with some sauteed chopped tomatoes, sundried tomatoes and basil. For extra protein try sauteed chickpeas, sundried tomatoes, red onion and a leafy green over pasta.
Protein
Protein Powder – Plant-based protein powders mixed in smoothies made of almond milk, fruit or sweet figs.  I don’t believe in drinking too many of your calories because I believe it doesnot satiate the appetite.
 Noodles
Cook them in a broth and top with veggies – I like to add a peanut sauce
Beans – High source of protein
Chickpeas, lentils, black beans, kidney beans etc.
Also…don’t believe everything you read about gas and beans. There are many things you can do like soaking the beans with a little baking soda and throwing away the soaking liquid, Another tip, cook a whole peeled potato with the beans. Do not eat the potato and throw away before serving. Digestion shouldn’t be a problem once you’ve adapted to the dietary fiber increase. Also, there should be no problem with lentils and chickpeas aka garbanzo beans.
Canned Beans
Make sure your purchase low-salt and rinse thoroughly before using to get rid of the starch.
Hotdogs (make sure the sodium isn’t too high)
Tofu hotdogs
Lightlife Smart Dogs
For the cupboard
Chick-peas
Sun-dried Tomatoes 
Olives
Roasted red peppers in the jar
Canned kitchen ready organic ground tomatoes (low-salt)
Flour
Whole-wheat flour
White whole-wheat flour (available at Whole Foods)
Chick-pea flour
Seasonings – Great additions to add flavor depending on the dish
Red pepper flakes,
Sriracha
Garlic
Low-sodium soy
Dried basil / oregano
Ground Chipolte
Onions
Lemon
Parsley
Mint
Peppers
Ginger
Rice Vinegar
Deserts
Delicious Dairy Free Ice Cream – all flavors
Purely Decadent Ice Cream
Rice Dream
Tofutti Cuties mint chip ice cream sandwiches
Jo-sef gluten free, vegan chocolate cookies

Cafe Indigo vegan whoppie pies (available at Whole Foods)
Soy whipped cream
Snack Foods
Whole grain crackers – Wasa crackers are yummy.  Check the ingredients before you buy and make sure they aren’t loaded with salt and oil.  Always look for the word whole in front. Spread some peanut butter and jelly on it for a filling snack.
Hummus – Hummus is wonderful high-protein snack.
Serve with carrots, cucumber, cherry tomatoes or i spread inside some whole wheat pita bread with cucumbers & sprouts.
Baked sweet potato – Sweet potatoes are filled with cancer-fighting beta carotene. Wash your sweet potato, poke some holes in it and bake until tender. Add some maple syrup on top.
 Fruits –  I love all fruit and in the winter when the choices aren’t as desirable, I always have frozen organic fruits in my freezer to top onto my oatmeal.